1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chopper unit for chopping food materials, and to an apparatus in which such a chopper unit is in combination with a motor drive unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many forms of apparatus conventionally known as "food mixers" and intended for domestic use are available on the market. In such apparatus, a motor unit is provided to which any one of a number of implements for mechanically operating on food material can be connected. These operations include for example beating, shredding, mixing and liquidizing. The known forms of shredding units are large and relatively complex -- in so far as they have many separate parts which are both difficult to manufacture, and subsequently when used, difficult to clean. On the other hand, relatively simple units have been designed which are intended primarily for liquidizing, but these are virtually useless for chopping or shredding. One such proposal has cutting blades carried at the end of a shaft, the shaft being journalled in a sleeve which is held against rotation when in use and has at its free end adjacent the blades a disc with a plurality of tongues extending parallel to the shaft axis, around the blades. The tongues serve principally as a guard for the rotating blades so as to stop the blades contacting the inner walls of a container when in use. It is apparent that although such a unit is most effective for liquidizing semi-solid foods -- such as grapes -- it is prevented from shredding or chopping solid food materials by the tongues. Even if the food material is first cut into small pieces so that the blades may effectively operate thereon, the end result tends to be a pulp or mash of the food material.